A BRITISH mum-of-six and TikTok influencer has revealed some of her useful tricks to help other families cut back on spending.
As energy and food prices continue to soar, Emma Williams, 29, from Telford, knew she would have to start planning ahead for the winter months.
The mum-of-six, who has more than 468,000 followers on TikTok, uses her platform to share hacks and bargains with fellow parents and others who might be struggling.
Recently, in a post that has gained more than 1.2 million views and 27,400 likes, Emma shares how she meal preps for her large family, leaving many amazed by her efforts.
She currently lives at home with her partner Dave, 32, and six children: Amelia, nine, James, seven, Liara, six, Evelyn, four, Charlotte, three and Thomas, six months.
Speaking to NeedToKnow.Online, she said: “The cost of living has affected how we shop, food prices have gone up and as a large family we can really feel the increase,
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“I currently suffer with mental health, anxiety and the stress of the cost of living does have a strain on my mental health.
“I think it’s made me less laid-back with how we buy and now I have to be strict on the amount of times we eat out or the little treats we give the kids.
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“I’ll still stay faithful to my usual supermarket (Tesco), however we have changed what we buy and I now meal prep to save time and money.
“I buy a lot of the supermarket’s own brands instead of the branded food to cut back.”
Alongside meal prepping, the savvy mum also has some other tips – from why it’s good to start Christmas preparations early to knowing where to look in a supermarket.
She said: “I meal prep which cuts the cost and the time I use up.
“For example, if I am making pancakes, I’ll make some for now and double my batter to make some for later, this way I know we have a breakfast in the freezer.
“Another thing I like to do is batch cook meat, separate them into bags, freeze them and then use them to make meals which has saved us so much money in the past.
“We are very cautious about Christmas too; I start very early in the year and get all the deals as they pop up.
“I find it gets way more expensive the closer we get to Christmas so hitting those sales and buying the wrapping paper after boxing day to use the following year is always good.
“Best tips for families are plan ahead, I use a weekly meal planner which helps us keep on track.
“If we have had a busy day we know we have a meal ready for us in the fridge or freezer ready to heat up that’s why I love to meal prep.
“The next tip is when you are shopping always look at the bottom shelf!
“The food down there is just as good as the branded stuff just without the price tag.
“Pasta is a great example of this, £1+ for the middle shelf or 32p at the bottom.”
Emma, who also runs her own YouTube channel, is hoping that by sharing her advice online, she will be able to help families who are struggling this winter.
She said: “I am aware that the increase has been devastating for a lot of families and it really does shock me that these companies are making people choose between eating and heating their homes.”
Emma’s recent meal prep video has certainly left a mark on TikTok users, leaving many viewers quick to comment on the mum’s creations.
One person said: “Well done for providing your family with home cooked meals. Looks fab. Also love your top.” [sic]
“Well done mama!” said someone else.
Another user said: “Give the lady a break! You would all be jumping on her if she brought McDonald’s every night! Woman your amazing well done x”
“Work smarter not harder. You’re doing amazing. I would be so stressed,” said someone else.
One person added: “It’s so refreshing to watch this Emma well done you’re one super mum much love.” [sic]
“Smashing it! You’re amazing! I’ve always cooked my meat from frozen and me and my boys are still alive and have never been ill xx” added another person. [sic]
However it seems that some users were not too impressed with Emma’s cooking hack.
One person said: “My mum has 11 kids and no way would she ever use that much meat”
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“I’m pretty sure that is dangerous cooking meat from frozen,” said someone else.
Another person commented: “That’s a huge amount of meat we’re a family of eight and i don’t use that much meat also the meat was frozen”
